Chapter 315 - 290: Successful Transformation

Chapter 315: Chapter 290: Successful Transformation

Early winter had arrived, and with it came the wind and snow.

The sky was dim, and snowflakes danced in the wind. The usually bustling Water Heaven Workshop, under the shadow of the relentless battles on the front lines, had taken on a noticeably bleak atmosphere.

Chu Mu had been back in the Marketplace for several days, all of which were spent dealing with trivial matters and social obligations.

It wasn’t until the fifth day that he finally had a moment to himself.

In the courtyard, a massive Demon Body lay prostrate. With each faint breath, it inhaled and exhaled Spiritual Qi, causing the Spiritual Qi in the courtyard to resonate. The phenomenon was clearly growing more and more powerful.

Chu Mu sat in the stone pavilion in the courtyard, with Xu Yuan across from him. Xia Yu was leading the little rascal, who was already running wild around the yard, in play. The scene had a certain harmonious and joyful feel to it.

"Brother Mu, about that bloodline you mentioned last time..."

After a long while of beating around the bush, Xu Yuan finally couldn’t help but ask.

"Bloodline Cultivation is popular in the coastal regions. When I have time, I’ll make a trip to the coast..."

Chu Mu explained, taking a sip of his tea.

Hearing this, Xu Yuan seemed relieved. He picked up his teacup, nodded, and asked, "Brother Mu, if I were to transplant a bloodline, would there be any adverse effects?"

Chu Mu asked, "Didn’t you read the book?"

"I did, but I’m worried..."

Xu Yuan glanced at the mother and son playing in the courtyard, his words trailing off.

"We’ll talk about it later."

Chu Mu proactively ended the topic.

’Bloodline...’

He looked at Wangcai, who was lying in the courtyard, and his heart grew heavier.

The little rascal came running over with a basin of Spirit Fruits, placed it on the stone table, and mumbled, "Dad, Uncle Chu, have some!"

Looking at the child whose little mouth was stuffed round and full, Chu Mu managed a faint smile. "Has Jinhua eaten yet?"

"Jinhua has! Uncle Chu, look..."

The little rascal pointed to his chubby cheeks and chewed with all his might.

Chu Mu ruffled the little rascal’s hair and couldn’t help but chuckle.

The little boy tilted his head up and pointed at the sleeping Wangcai. "Uncle Chu, when will Uncle Wangcai wake up?"

Chu Mu looked at Wangcai, still unable to hide his worry.

"Soon. It should be in the next few days..."

Suddenly, as if sensing something, Chu Mu shot to his feet. With a single step, he appeared in front of Wangcai in the next instant.

At that moment, the slumbering Demon Body seemed to reach some kind of threshold and trembled abruptly.

Then, a roar seemed to echo from the void.

The dense, previously calm Spiritual Qi began to surge, visible to the naked eye.

The prostrate Demon Body became like a vortex of Spiritual Qi, siphoning away nearly all the dense Spiritual Qi in the entire residence, drawing it all toward itself.

"Brother Mu..."

Xu Yuan was stunned, the little rascal was bewildered, and Xia Yu rushed over from the side.

Chu Mu’s expression was grave. He formed hand seals, casting one spell after another. The Array Prohibitions set up around the bamboo forest and the residence’s own protective Array all activated.

Finally, with a flick of his hand, four Cyan Wolf Puppets and one Guard Puppet landed in the four cardinal directions, surrounding the transforming Wangcai.

"Put all these Spirit Stones into the Energy Gathering Array Prohibition."

Chu Mu tossed out a bag of Spirit Stones, his tone urgent.

Xu Yuan caught the Spirit Stone Bag and turned to leave.

"Fellow Daoist Xia, take Jinhua to the back courtyard first."

Chu Mu instructed, looking at the bewildered Xia Yu.

Xia Yu nodded, picked up the little rascal, and hurried away.

Only then did Chu Mu turn his attention back to the massive Demon Body, now completely shrouded in Spiritual Qi.

The transformative breakthrough was clearly nearing its end and was about to succeed.

All that remained was for Wangcai to awaken.

He had to confirm whether it had been influenced by the Vajra Wolf Bloodline.

’If there’s no influence, or if it’s only minor, then everything will be fine.’

’But if it has been influenced...’

Although he had been unwilling to think about it, at this moment, he had to consider the possibility of this outcome.

’If it happens... what should I do?’

As Chu Mu pondered with a heavy heart, the massive Demon Body before him continued its final transformation.

Under the strain of this final, critical phase, Wangcai’s enormous Demon Body seemed to be tempered a thousand times over, becoming more and more refined as it slowly began to shrink.

Finally, the change in its form slowly ceased when it was about the size of an ordinary tiger.

By now, Wangcai’s appearance had changed drastically.

Its originally jet-black fur had taken on a metallic luster, gleaming black with a faint Dark Copper Color.

Its sharp claws and fangs grew and became exposed, looking like blades. At a glance, the chilling, sharp aura they exuded was exceptionally clear.

Its form could no longer be called massive, but within his Divine Sense Perception, a majestic power surged restlessly like Earth Fire Lava—volatile and terrifying!

Its body, once prostrate, had now risen. It crouched as if stalking prey, fangs bared. As its eyes slowly opened, a clear, dazed confusion lingered within them.

Chu Mu suppressed the unease in his heart and tentatively called out, "Wangcai?"

The call clearly triggered some of Wangcai’s memories, and the dazed confusion slowly dissipated. In its place, the savage instinct of a Demon Beast instantly filled its eyes.

Chu Mu’s heart sank. With a mere thought, the Array covering the area and the many Puppets surrounding the bamboo grove began to stir slowly.

With such a setup, he could easily suppress not just a newly promoted Tier Two, but even a Tier Two Late Stage or Perfection demon.

Now, all it would take was his command to instantly suppress and capture the Wangcai before him alive!

’As for what to do after capturing it...’

"WHIMPER WHIMPER WHIMPER..."

Just then, the savagery vanished in an instant. Its eyes cleared, and with the look and manner of a common house dog, Wangcai wagged its tail and bounded over.

"WHIMPER WHIMPER WHIMPER..."

Just like old times, Wangcai whimpered, rubbing against the corner of his robes with eyes full of excitement.

Chu Mu opened his mouth, but in the end, all his emotions melted into a knowing smile.

He let Wangcai frolic and nuzzle against him, a brilliant smile on his face. The heart that had been lodged in his throat finally settled back into place.

"Is it okay?"

Xu Yuan asked cautiously from the side, not daring to get too close.

A newly-formed Tier Two Demon Beast’s aura was as conspicuous and unrestrained as a bonfire in the dark. With his Qi Cultivation Perfection, even getting slightly close felt suffocatingly oppressive.

"It should be fine now."

Chu Mu said with a chuckle, gently stroking Wangcai’s head.

The Wangcai before him was clear-headed, with no significant signs of its mind being eroded.

’That means the influence of the Vajra Wolf Bloodline must have been suppressed by Wangcai’s own will.’

’There’s no possibility of it faking this.’

’After all, at its current Cultivation, Wangcai doesn’t possess that level of Spiritual Wisdom.’

’If it had truly been corrupted, it would show it without reservation; it wouldn’t be able to hide it.’

After that brief explanation, he said no more, focusing all his attention on the Wangcai before him.

The bloodline transplant, the Tier Two Cultivation, the adaptation to the Vajra Wolf Bloodline...

Wangcai’s successful transformative breakthrough meant there were many things that needed to be carefully observed and studied.

His Divine Sense enveloped Wangcai. Thanks to countless past experiences, Wangcai showed no resistance this time, letting Chu Mu observe it just as he always had.

Seeing this reaction, Chu Mu’s eyes flickered, and he continued his observation.

Its Tier Two Cultivation was now beyond doubt.

Within its body, now several times smaller, was an indescribably immense life force.

Only by probing with Divine Sense Perception could one know how terrifying this power was.

Its blood pumped like magma, its bones were as hard as Vajra.

All the characteristics of a Vajra Wolf were now manifest in Wangcai.

It could be said that aside from its core nature, which stemmed from its memories, everything else seemed to have been twisted and changed by the Vajra Wolf Bloodline.

He could no longer detect the slightest trace of its former Black Mountain Wolf characteristics.

With this transformation, which was almost a change in species, he could also clearly perceive a change in Wangcai’s aptitude.

Previously, under the influence of its Black Mountain Wolf bloodline’s aptitude, its Cultivation Progress from just absorbing Spiritual Qi was almost as imperceptible as his own painstaking Cultivation.

Only by devouring Demon Beasts, the corpses of Cultivators, or Elixirs could any noticeable progress in its Cultivation be seen.

But now, under the effect of the Vajra Wolf Bloodline, this body of Wangcai’s sensitivity to Spiritual Qi had taken a quantum leap.

With each breath, as it took in Spiritual Qi, he could sense a minute advancement in its Cultivation.

In terms of a Cultivator, it would be like going from a Wasted Spirit Root to a Heaven or Earth Spirit Root.

Chu Mu wasn’t too concerned about this, however.

What he cared about wasn’t Wangcai’s Cultivation Progress, but its potential.

Without Spiritual Wisdom, a Demon Beast’s Cultivation relied entirely on instinct.

If he had to rely on Wangcai to cultivate painstakingly on its own, it would undoubtedly take an extremely long time.

And Wangcai’s lifespan—or rather, a Demon Beast’s lifespan—was generally much longer than a human’s.

His Foundation Establishment granted him a three-hundred-year lifespan, while Wangcai had at least five or six hundred years.

Compared to its total lifespan, Wangcai was, at most, still in its youth.

And he, obviously, couldn’t afford to spend several hundred years just to advance a single Small Realm.

To him, external resources were fundamental.

This was true for him, and naturally, it was also true for Wangcai, who followed him through the Cultivation Immortal Realm.

When you could pile on all sorts of resources, potential was the most important thing.

After all, when his own Cultivation was impeded, he could find a way to solve it himself. But Wangcai, without Spiritual Wisdom and with limited potential, would just get stuck like before, unable to advance even an inch.

’Now, with this Vajra Wolf Bloodline...’

Chu Mu observed, silently speculating.

As far as he knew, the Vajra Wolf Bloodline was rumored to be able to reach Tier Four at its peak.

He wasn’t sure if that was true, but based on his current observations, it was clearly more than just a single notch above the former Black Mountain Wolf bloodline.

"Here, eat these first."

With a wave of his sleeve, a pile of Demon Beast flesh and Cultivator corpses appeared—all things he had collected on the front lines.

Wangcai looked up at Chu Mu, whimpered twice, then opened its blood-red maw and began to tear into the food and devour it wantonly.

"Brother Mu, I collected some bloody food here, too. Let’s give it to Wangcai to eat."

Xu Yuan stepped forward and handed over a Storage Talisman.

Chu Mu took it and scanned its contents. Inside, besides a pile of Tier One Demon Beast flesh, were the bodies of several dozen Qi Cultivation Realm Cultivators.

He was slightly surprised. Xu Yuan explained, "I was worried you wouldn’t make it back in time, Brother Mu, so I went to the Marketplace to gather some."

"That was thoughtful of you."

Chu Mu nodded. With a flick of his hand, the flesh and corpses from the Storage Talisman were added to the pile in the courtyard, forming another small mountain in front of Wangcai.

Wangcai’s body was no longer as massive as before, but when it ate, it was as if it had a bottomless pit for a stomach.

In just a few short moments, it had devoured almost half of the mountain-like pile of bloody food, yet its body showed no change in size.

The feasting continued. The Cultivation aura emanating from its Demon Body seemed to condense and stabilize, little by little, with each bite.

And with this feasting, the inherent savagery of a Demon Beast also began to faintly swirl and manifest...

...